Daily Archives: August 13, 2017

A NEW FM CHANNEL? Umm, not really. Rather, it was an underground radio station started by Goan nationalists in the mid-1950s, in the run-up to liberation of the state in 1961.

WOW, THATS UBER SUBVERSIVE. BUT WHY AN UNDERGROUND STATION? That calls for a quick history class. In June 1946, freedom fighter RM Lohia organised a Satyagraha campaign for the first time in Goa to demand civil liberties and to liberate Goa. Lohia was arrested, the movement was quashed, but it would spark off many more movements by Goan satyagrahis in the years to come. Portuguese police action would be swift and violent. The underground radio station was an attempt to sustain the morale of the people by keeping them updated on the progress of the freedom struggle, both inside Goa and outside.

HOW DID THE STATION ESCAPE THE PORTUGUESE CRACKDOWN? For one, the station essentially a transmitter mounted on a truck operated out of a dense forest in Amboli in Maharashtra, on Goas outskirts, where the nationalists were living incognito. Trial broadcasts began in November 1955, and by the 25th of that month Voice Of Freedom began.

WOW, THAT WAS QUITE A PLAN... Yes, hatched by three young Goan nationalists: Vaman Sardesai, Nicolau Menezes and Libia Lobo, the last two being Goans residing in Bombay.

ER, MENEZES, LOBO NATIONALISTS? SHOULDNT THEY BE PORTUGUESE? Well, its best to let a freedom fighter, Ronaldo Coutinho, answer that question: The liberation struggle of Goa saw the participation of both the communities, that is Catholics and Hindus. It was widely believed that the Catholics in Goa were loyal to the Portuguese rule and considered themselves more as Portuguese than the Portuguese themselves. But this was not true in regard to all the Catholic population. Coutinho said this in a newspaper interview in 2001.

COUTINHO MAY HAVE BEEN AN EXCEPTION. Not really. Guess who said: I belong to that race which composed the Mahabharata and invented chess A Goan politician called Francisco Luis Gomes, sometime in 1861 in Paris. In one of his novels, Luis Gomes also wrote: Impartial men, who are moved by justice and not by racialism, want India to be ruled by Indians.

HMM, TELL ME MORE. Tristao de Branganca Cunha established the Goa Congress Committee and linked it to the Indian National Congress, leaving little doubt that Goa was an integral part of India.The next time youre in Panjim, look out for TB Cunha Road.

AND THE MAN WHO GOT LOHIA TO GOA? Aha, so you do know something. Indeed, it was the initiative of a Goan academician and writer, Juliao Menezes, that was responsible for Lohias entry into Goa. Menezes was arrested along with Lohia for disregarding the ban and addressing a meeting in the Margao town square, which has been named after Lohia. Others who had gathered for the protest include Evagrio Jorge, Jose Inacio Loyola, JF Martins

WHOA, WHOA, HANG ON MATE, YOUVE CONVINCED ME. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE VOICE OF FREEDOM, NOW. VoF broadcasts made Goans aware of the states long history of struggle for freedom, right from the 16th century. It also gave voice to the Satyagraha movement of 1946, eventually leading up to the liberation of Goa and, before that, the liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli by Goan nationalists in 1956. At a time when newspapers in Goa were censored, VoF proved effective in countering Portuguese propaganda.

COOL WONDERING IF ITS TIME FOR A VOF OF INDIA Got to go.

Read more here:

All you need to know about Voice of Freedom - Goa's underground radio station - Economic Times

NFL quarterback DeShaun Watson, Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and multi-Grammy winner Chance the Rapper (Bennett) were among the historical figures portrayed in the W. Vernon Middleton Fine Arts Center on the campus of Claflin University on July 27.

Their message was one of upliftment.

The 67 scholars participating in the sixth year of Claflins Freedom School vicariously portrayed Watson, Biles and Bennett under the direction and choreography of associate professors of speech and drama Annette Grevious and Cedric Rembert during the programs hour-long theatrical production finale.

The Museum of Difference Makers: Hall of Historical Figures was the culminating performance of the six-week enrichment program aimed at curbing summer learning loss and closing achievement gaps, something that Claflin University President Dr. Henry N. Tisdale and project director Nathan Chaplin both agree will ensure a level playing field for all children.

When Dr. Marian Wright Edleman, president and founder of the Childrens Defense Fund, visited Tisdale and extended an invitation for Claflin to be one the host sites in the Southeast for the CDF's Freedom Schools, he said he knew he had made the right decision when accepted.

We know the program is making a difference, Tisdale told the crowd of parents, guardians and community leaders. We see a difference in the scholars' attitude towards learning, their confidence levels, and the feedback we receive is tremendous.

Tisdale said the community has a responsibility to tell children that they are strong, visionary leaders and that theyre going to be someone great. Encouraging children to thrive is one of the best things people can do, he noted.

Chaplin said this summer's program was one of the smoothest hes experienced. He credits that to the support of the parents, the university and community leaders who served as read-a-loud guests and speakers, such as state Sen. Brad Hutto and Rep. Jerry Govan.

There was a waiting list for the program due to the growing popularity of Freedom Schools. While Claflin is one of several sites in the state, Chaplin said it is one of the most popular.

Students leave more prepared for their next grade level, he said. They exit with a greater voice to serve in the classroom and the community.

According to its website, the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools program model curriculum supports children and families around five essential components: high-quality academic enrichment, parent and family involvement, social action and civic engagement, intergenerational servant leadership development and nutrition, health and mental health.

Each year, the program recognizes a community leader whos made an impact on the universitys Freedom School or in their respective field of expertise.

However, there was a deviation from that this year, which Chaplin said was necessary.

This summer would have been Aniyah Floods third year participating in the program, but an unforeseen incident kept her from joining some her classmates from Clark Middle School.

With the use of a walker, Aniyah was surprised and overjoyed as she stood to receive the Freedom School Honors award.

The future veterinarian said she was thankful to have been honored, adding that it gave her motivation to make those who believe in her proud as she enters seventh grade.

Allendale native Youshi Kirkland said the Freedom School experience afforded him the opportunity to manage a classroom while still pursuing his degree in middle level education at Claflin. Kirkland said he taught as well as learned.

We grew a bond, he said. The scholars helped me find my mojo and vibe my teaching style.

Kirkland said he couldn't wait for the weekend to end so he could resume teaching and learning. He helped conclude the evenings program along with the other educational interns with "cheers and chants" that are sung each morning during "Harambee," the Swahili term that means "all pull together."

The scholars, described by Tisdale as "the next doctors, philanthropists and college presidents," closed out the program singing "So Strong," written by British musician Labi Siffre: The higher you build your barriers, the taller I become. The farther you take my rights away, the faster I will run. You can deny me. You can decide to turn your face away. No matter cause theres something inside so strong

See the rest here:

Claflin's Freedom School aims to curb summer learning loss - The Times and Democrat

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina.

CBS Evening News

The House Freedom Caucus on Friday launched a petition to force a vote on the House floor on a straight Obamacare repeal bill, meaning the fight over health care isn't dead at least, not yet.

The group of conservative Republicans needs 218 members to sign the discharge petition to bring H. Res. 458, a clean repeal of Obamacare, to the floor for a vote. The petition is a type of parliamentary procedure used to bypass the committee process. A handful of House Freedom Caucus members, including Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Tom Garrett (R-Virginia), and Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania) signed the petition from the House floor on Friday.

"It's critical that we keep our promise to the American people and repeal Obamacare and replace it with a policy that works for American families," said caucus chairman Rep. Mark Meadows (R-North Carolina), in a statement."We cannot drag this process out any longer. This bill with a two-year delay on implementation of repeal will force Congress to come together on a replacement bill. President Trump is eager to sign repeal and replace, it's time we get to work and send both to his desk."

The petition is an attempt to push forward the stalled health care reform in Congress. The House passed a bill to repeal and replace parts of Obamacare in May, but the Senate failed to do so twice, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans made it clear the Senate is moving on to other issues like tax reform.

Chances of a straight Obamacare repeal in the House or the Senate don't look good. The Senate rejected a clean Obamacare repeal bill last month.

But Mr. Trump, who has publicly shamed McConnell for the health care failure on Twitter and won't answer whether he wants McConnell to step aside, isn't giving up on a key part of his campaign platform to repeal his predecessor's signature legislation.

The House Freedom Caucus hopes to bring the clean repeal bill to a vote in September.

"We make this job too difficult," Jordan said in a statement. "We need to do what we told the voters we were going to do. There's no reason we should send less on repeal to President Trump's desk than we sent to President Obama's. Now is the time for members of Congress to put on the record whether they're truly for repeal of Obamacare."

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House Freedom Caucus launches petition to compel Obamacare repeal vote - CBS News